Hello! I just wanted to write a quick note to reminder you of our Gallery Night tomorrow night (Thursday March 17th). Come and enjoy your family meal picnic style with other 3-5th grade families at 5:30 and then walk the halls to enjoy all the hard work our students have been doing. In 3rd grade, we are focusing on our science planet posters and constellation creations. You can also view our persuasive bumper stickers. The evening continues with the fourth grade presentation of their Amazing Americans. You are welcome to stay for their presentation or head home with your family. We hope you see you tomorrow night!!!!
Ms. Wetzel and Ms. Whalen
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Science test on Friday 3-11-11
Astronomy test study guide
The Astronomy unit test will be on Friday, March 11th.
One theory that scientists believe is that the universe was created with a “Big Bang”. There are other theories about how the universe was created.
Our universe is so large, it is beyond imagination. It continues to get bigger all the time.
Ptolemy believed that our solar system revolved around the Earth. This was believed until Copernicus (scaredy cat) published his book in 1543 that stated we were heliocentric (sun centered).
Things in space are mostly measured in light years.
We live in the Milky Way galaxy. Milky Way galaxy is a spiral galaxy. Other types of galaxies are barred, elliptical, and irregular.
A star is a huge hot ball of glowing gasses. When a star dies it implodes creating a supernova. Black holes are created when a large enough star dies. The mass of the star packs into a dense ball but its weight is the same. This causes an extreme pull of gravity. Any thing that comes close will be pulled in. Nothing can escape its pull.
When a star dies that is not large enough to create a black hole, it creates a white dwarf.
Our sun is the star that gives us light and heat. Life would not be possible without our sun.
Gravity is the force that holds our universe together. Gravity keeps our planets in their oval orbits around the sun. The amount of mass something has determines how much pull its gravity has: The heavier the planet/star/moon, the stronger the pull of gravity.
It takes the Earth 365 days to revolve around the sun (one year). It takes the Earth 24 hours to rotate on its axis (one day).
Our nine planets orbit around the sun (eight planets and one dwarf planet). My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. The inner planets are the rocky planets. Past the asteroid belt, we have the gas planets. Pluto is an icy ball.
There are other things that orbit around our sun such as asteroids and comets. A comet is a ball of ice, dust and gas. As it gets closer to the sun it speeds up and begins to melt. As it melts, the solar winds of the sun create a “tail” on the comet. When we see a comet, the light is seen for days or a week at a time. A meteor is space dust. As this dust enters our atmosphere the friction creates a spark that we might call a “shooting star”. The spark only last a few seconds. There are two times of year when meteor showers happen: August and November. When a meteor lands on Earth, it’s called a meteorite.
An asteroid is a large chunk of rocky material in space. There is a large collection of asteroids orbiting the sun between the Jupiter and Mars called the asteroid belt.
An eclipse occurs when something blocks the view of something else in space. A lunar eclipse is when the view of the moon is blocked by the shadow of the Earth: Sun, Earth, Moon. A Solar eclipse happens when the moon blocks our view (perspective) of the Sun: Sun, Moon, Earth.
Constellations are groups of stars that create a picture. Constellations are used as a map of the sky. Explorers used the North Star to help guide them. Constellations appear to move as we travel through our season because we are revolving around the sun. The northern and southern hemispheres of Earth can see different constellations.
The Astronomy unit test will be on Friday, March 11th.
One theory that scientists believe is that the universe was created with a “Big Bang”. There are other theories about how the universe was created.
Our universe is so large, it is beyond imagination. It continues to get bigger all the time.
Ptolemy believed that our solar system revolved around the Earth. This was believed until Copernicus (scaredy cat) published his book in 1543 that stated we were heliocentric (sun centered).
Things in space are mostly measured in light years.
We live in the Milky Way galaxy. Milky Way galaxy is a spiral galaxy. Other types of galaxies are barred, elliptical, and irregular.
A star is a huge hot ball of glowing gasses. When a star dies it implodes creating a supernova. Black holes are created when a large enough star dies. The mass of the star packs into a dense ball but its weight is the same. This causes an extreme pull of gravity. Any thing that comes close will be pulled in. Nothing can escape its pull.
When a star dies that is not large enough to create a black hole, it creates a white dwarf.
Our sun is the star that gives us light and heat. Life would not be possible without our sun.
Gravity is the force that holds our universe together. Gravity keeps our planets in their oval orbits around the sun. The amount of mass something has determines how much pull its gravity has: The heavier the planet/star/moon, the stronger the pull of gravity.
It takes the Earth 365 days to revolve around the sun (one year). It takes the Earth 24 hours to rotate on its axis (one day).
Our nine planets orbit around the sun (eight planets and one dwarf planet). My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pickles: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. The inner planets are the rocky planets. Past the asteroid belt, we have the gas planets. Pluto is an icy ball.
There are other things that orbit around our sun such as asteroids and comets. A comet is a ball of ice, dust and gas. As it gets closer to the sun it speeds up and begins to melt. As it melts, the solar winds of the sun create a “tail” on the comet. When we see a comet, the light is seen for days or a week at a time. A meteor is space dust. As this dust enters our atmosphere the friction creates a spark that we might call a “shooting star”. The spark only last a few seconds. There are two times of year when meteor showers happen: August and November. When a meteor lands on Earth, it’s called a meteorite.
An asteroid is a large chunk of rocky material in space. There is a large collection of asteroids orbiting the sun between the Jupiter and Mars called the asteroid belt.
An eclipse occurs when something blocks the view of something else in space. A lunar eclipse is when the view of the moon is blocked by the shadow of the Earth: Sun, Earth, Moon. A Solar eclipse happens when the moon blocks our view (perspective) of the Sun: Sun, Moon, Earth.
Constellations are groups of stars that create a picture. Constellations are used as a map of the sky. Explorers used the North Star to help guide them. Constellations appear to move as we travel through our season because we are revolving around the sun. The northern and southern hemispheres of Earth can see different constellations.
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